Parallel Lines
Text: Federica Belli
Art has always been going in circles. No wonder that, in a period constellated by uncertainties and conflicts, artists are once again sheltering in the arms of abstraction and technical experimentation. In a way, precisely when we are most concerned with our present, we instinctually turn away from its stories. The contemporary photographers showing at Paris Photo, undoubtedly the main European kermesse after Brexit, clearly showed a need to turn their back to documentary photography and rather focus on the potential expansion of the visual language by retracing the roots of the medium and playing with its boundaries. On the other hand, one cannot avoid wondering whether the choices of the exhibited photographers actually represent the current scenario, or if rather the gallerists are choosing to give a voice to abstract photographers in a response to the shifting demand of the public. In short, are photographers turning to abstraction or is it rather the public? As of now, answering such question remains quite impossible – as is often the case, history becomes visible only in retrospect.
@Thomas Devaux
Exploring transcendence and the human need for believing in something, the work of Thomas Devaux hits the viewer as an open critique to marketing and the objectification of art in capitalism. Through the use of dichroic glass, the artist distorts the photograph underneath and plays with the viewer by creating totems that go way beyond the amazement before the masterful technique, touching the unconscious and the fascination for magic.
@Ellen Carey
Employing the concept of transcendence in a different way, Struck by Light – a series presented by Ellen Carey – explores the ancient technique of the photogram in an unprecedented way by pushing color photosensitive papers to its limits in the darkroom.
@Julien Mignot
Equally astounding, the work of Julien Mignot presents in a single take the whole spectrum of nuances from sunrise to sunset. Relying on his analog big format camera, Mignot confronts the viewer with a concept of time which is long forgotten and usually relegated to the old masters of photography: how long is a day, how different is it from the previous and the following ones? Notwithstanding which side is causing the shift, the reason remains unclear as well. Some might say that our current reality is terrifying, some others might rather focus on how we’ve seen it all, or even credit the advancement of technique which is stimulating artists to experiment on its potential. The most fascinating aspect, however, is to be found not in AI – which anyways is undoubtedly prominent in the contemporary scene – but rather in the enthusiastic rediscovery of old techniques which are pushed to new heights.
